Keaton x FemWolfskinReader
by 12Frida39
Summary: This is my first self-insert fanfiction. Please note that some chapters much later on may be lemons. These chapters will have very clear warnings on them. Readers will be given ample notification in the chapter beforehand. If anyone complains about my warnings, or any lack thereof, I will not be a happy writer. Enjoy your time with Keaton, my dear readers!
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any of the original cast from Fire Emblem: Fates that are involved in this fanfiction, and all rights to said characters belong to Intelligent Systems (and any other major parties involved in the making of the Fire Emblem: Fates games). The only parts of this fanfiction that I own are the plot, Dakota, as well as parts of (Name)'s personality and the decisions she makes. I do not make any profit from this fanfiction; it is solely intended for your reading pleasure.

(Name) = Your name.

(eye color) = Your eye color.

(hair color)/(hair length) = Hair color / Hair length.

(Pet Name) = An annoying name that pisses you off, no matter who it comes from.

(Nickname) = A cute name that makes you blush.

 **Keaton's P.O.V.**

My packmates hurry past me as we scramble to escape from the Hoshidan army. Normally, I would be _leading_ them to safety, but this time was different. This time, I was _directing_ them to safety. I can't bear telling them - let alone myself - the real reason why. As their leader, it falls on me to never show them my weaknesses. If this were to happen, they would lose faith in me. The already know what she is to me, but they must never find out what she _means_ to me.

"Keaton, we need to get out of here alive," my Deputy Chief urges, her eyes glinting with worry.

She knows exactly what I'm planning to do.

"We'll send a search party when we get back to camp. You don't stand a chance against them!" she insists when I don't even acknowledge her former comment.

"Dakota, any chance at all is a good enough excuse for me to kick Hoshidan ass!" I snap back at her. "I'm not leaving without (Name)."

Without even waiting for a response, I quickly turn tail and race back the way we came. What I'm doing could very well end up getting myself and the rest of the pack killed, but I couldn't care less right now. My heart is screaming, pulling me back to her. I'd rather die today, holding her in my arms, than die alone gods-know-how-many years from now. She makes me who I am. Her smile makes me smile. Her laugh makes me laugh. Hearing her cry makes me want to brutally murder the person responsible. She didn't just steal my heart... She became it. I would cross entire nations if it meant being able to hold her close, to protect her, and our upcoming child.

My train of thought is snapped when my mate's shriek of agony rips through the air, sending me into an overpowering rage.

"(NNNAAAMMMEEE)!"

 **Author's Note**

 _Hey, readers! I hope you guys are going to enjoy this self-insert. This is the first self-insert that I have been motivated to write, mainly because I don't feel that Keaton has been getting enough attention in the world of fan-made literature. Just to warn you, I will not be minding my use of language, hence the mature rating. Anyone who comments on my use of language will make me very annoyed, as you have been given ample warning._

 _Also, if you do not like reading literature that explicitly describes sex, have no fear. Chapters where Keaton and reader-chan get frisky will have no effect on the plot whatsoever, so feel free to skip them at you leisure._

 _That's all from me for now, so please feel free to vote and comment your thoughts/ideas/concerns._

 _Until the next chapter, readers!_


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER:** Fire Emblem: Fates and all of its characters belong to Intelligent Systems (and any other major parties involved in the making of the Fire Emblem: Fates games). I own the plot, Dakota, (Name)'s personality and the decisions she makes. I do not make any profit from this fanfiction; it is solely intended for your reading pleasure.

 _Two Years Prior_

(Name) = Your name.

(eye color) = Your eye color.

(hair color)/(hair length) = Hair color / Hair length.

(Pet Name) = An annoying name that pisses you off, no matter who it comes from.

(Nickname) = A cute name that makes you blush.

 **Your P.O.V.**

I wake up with a pounding headache, my entire body feeling leaden, unyielding to my commands. I begin to recall certain things about myself, just to be sure that I'm still alive.

 _I am (Name). I am (age) years old. I am a white-furred Wolf's Kin-. No... I am the_ last _white-furred Wolf's Kin. I was held prisoner in Hoshido with my parents. They died helping me to escape. I was followed across the border by a Hoshidan soldier. Then..._

I couldn't remember the rest of what happened. Slowly waking up and opening my eyes, I'm met by a kind female Wolfskin named Dakota. She's a proud member of the pack of Wolfskin that lives here at the summit of Mount Garou, so she tells me. When I ask her what happened, she smiles and tells me everything, starting from where my memory draws a blank.

Dakota and the pack's leader, Keaton, had been on their way to do some daily hunting when they'd heard me cry for help. When they had arrived, I was already blacking out, and there was a Hoshidan merchant holding a serrated knife to one of my wolf ears with the intention of skinning me alive. Keaton had sent him running for his life. After the fact, he and Dakota had carried me here to his den, where - much to my embarrassment - I had been lying unconscious for an entire day. Even more shocking is the fact that my stomach decides right here and now that this is the perfect time to proclaim its need for food. Dakota laughs at this and leaves the den for a minute, returning with some food and water just for me. Once I've finished the food and had enough water, I thank Dakota for her kindness, standing up and walking to the den's entrance. She calls after me, stopping me in my tracks.

"You can't seriously think that you can just leave without any means of defending yourself," Dakota states calmly.

"Yes, I can," I snap rather coldly, instantly hit by recoiling guilt. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you, Dakota... What I meant to say is that I have my Beastrune, so I'll be fine."

"No, actually. You don't."

I turn on my heel. That answer had been the one I'd least expected.

"The merchant snatched it off you moments after we found you," she sighs in regret. "Unfortunately, we weren't able to retrieve it."

Waves of emotion crash over me in such a scramble that I can't pick out even one of them. That Beastrune had been my mother's, and she'd passed it on to me in her final moments of life. It was a part of me now, and it was the only thing that had kept me sane while I had been-.

A pair of arms wrapping me into a comforting hug prevents me from completing the thought. Dakota whispers soothing words to me, which makes me think that she's quite a bit older, wiser than she appears to be.

"Don't worry, (Name). We'll get your Beastrune back," she assures me.

"How d-do you know m-my name?" I ask, inwardly cursing myself for stuttering.

"There were some dog-tags attached to a belt loop on your jeans," Dakota answers sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck as she pulls away from the hug. "I tried to save them for you, but Chief threw them down into the Bottomless Canyon."

"Then good riddance," I huff, suppressing a shiver. "They only bring up memories I'd much rather forget."

"If you're up for it, Keaton and I can come with you," she suggests, obviously referring to getting my Beastrune back.

Dakota smiles when my face lights up with joy, but the moment of happiness quickly fades when I very stubbornly refuse her offer.

"I can't involve your pack leader in this," I mutter darkly, turning to leave the den once more. "It's too dangerous."

I'm just within three feet of freedom when another Wolfskin arrives, blocking the only exit. Looking up, I suddenly feel my heart beginning to fail me. I'm met by possibly the hottest Wolfssegner in existence. His waist-length black hair has a thick stripe of white running down the center, his crimson red eyes and shirt of an identical hue being the only color that stood out in his attire. What pulls it all together with sexy-cute style is the black wolf ears protruding from either side of his head and an equally attractive tail that stuck out from his rear end. I don't even realize that I'm staring a little too intently at him until he waves a hand in front of my face.

"Hello? Is everything okay?" the Wolfssegner asks, slightly concerned.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," I stammer, averting my gaze. "I need to-."

"Awesome! I'm so happy," he cheers, pulling me into a strong hug, although he almost immediately lets go. "I... I mean, it's great to see that you're awake."

"Keaton, your tail is wagging," Dakota calls from behind me.

I can't help but smile as the Wolfssegner tries desperately to stop his wagging tail, his cheeks getting redder all the while. I may having only just woken up in a strange camp teeming with Wolfskin I never knew existed until now, but even so, I feel welcomed, a part of their pack. Staying with them for a little while couldn't hurt, I guess... Right?

"Dakota," Keaton whines, not at all pleased with his packmate's comment. "Would you please stop pointing that out all the time!"

"That's about as likely as you succeeding in keeping your tail still, Chief," she replies with a sigh.

I shake my head to refocus my thoughts, simultaneously trying to coax my mind into letting go of the image of Keaton now burned into my memory.

"I'm sorry, but I really must be leaving, I declare, cautiously pushing past Keaton and walking out into the soothing light of dusk, wind whistling softly by my upright ears. "Which way is Hoshido?"

"You're not going," Keaton's voice growls beside me, commanding.

I turn to him, slightly annoyed.

"With all due respect, if I wanted your approval, I would have asked for it," I snap at him, impressed that he doesn't even flinch.

"You are a woman, more importantly a Wolfskin, and I respect that."

He holds his ground, hands raised defensively when I take a challenging step towards him, feeling the scrape of his implied meaning against raw nerves.

"I have no doubt that you'd be able to hold your own if you had your Beastrune, and I respect that as well," he continues, pausing to look into my (eye color) eyes. "At least let Dakota and I come with you."

The deep, raspy tone of his voice makes my heart flutter for a couple of beats, though I've no clue why.

"Fine," I concede, throwing my hands up in surrender. "You can come with me, but as soon as we get to the castle-."

"We are _not_ letting you go in there alone, either," Dakota buts in, standing at my other side. "Not a single Nohrian has ever made it in and back out of Hoshido alive."

"Let alone Castle Shirasagi itself," Keaton adds gravely. "Even the Nohrian royal family have never been able to come anywhere near the main castle."

"Okay, I get it!" I whine, following him as he leads the way, gathering a large number of his packmates to join us as backup while Dakota brings up the rear. "Let's just get there before I start ripping my own fur out."

"Woohoo!" he cheers, leaping into the air and pumping his fists. "We'll give those Hoshidans an ass-kicking they'll never forget."

As we walk down the mountainside in the direction of Hoshido, I remain happily oblivious to Dakota while trying to discuss a plan of attack with Keaton. She watches my white wolf tail as it picks up a rhythmic left-right sweeping motion, and she smiles knowingly to herself.


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER:** Fire Emblem: Fates and all of its characters belong to Intelligent Systems (and any other major parties involved in the making of the Fire Emblem: Fates games). I own the plot, Dakota, (Name)'s personality and the decisions she makes. I do not make any profit from this fanfiction; it is solely intended for your reading pleasure.

(Name) = Your name.

(eye color) = Your eye color.

(hair color)/(hair length) = Hair color / Hair length.

(Pet Name) = An annoying name that pisses you off, no matter who it comes from.

(Nickname) = A cute name that makes you blush.

 **Keaton's P.O.V.**

We've been waiting at the edge of the forest that surrounds Castle Shirasagi for an amount of time that even my stomach refuses to count. I look to (Name), who's sitting next to me and watching some unseen royal guard with surreal intensity. In that second, I realize that her ears and tail are white, which is strange. None of my packmates have white fur, which means that she's not the young Wolfskin that my pack lost to Hoshidan forces a few months ago. So that must mean she comes from the Wolfskin pack that lives up in the arctic tundra, where it snows practically nine months of the year... Well, so I've heard.

I don't even get the chance to for the words in my mind when she springs up into a kneeling position, as if she were about to race a one hundred meter sprint. Dakota, sitting at her opposite side, does the same. A little more reluctantly, I follow suit.

"No matter what happens, we stick to my plan," (Name) growls quietly, not taking her eyes off her supposedly hidden target. "Got it?"

"Got it," Dakota and I repeat, waiting for her signal.

"3...2...1..."

I raise myself slightly higher off the ground, my legs tense and ready for action.

"Now."

The three of us surge forward, all senses on high alert. My packmates that I had brought along for backup race after us. No sooner than we crossed the understood threshold were we set upon by Hoshidan ninja. Instinctively, I clench my Beastrune in one hand and grab (Name)'s with the other, pulling her into my protective custody. Now in my beast form, I easily plow through wave after wave of pesky Hoshidan ninja. I call out to Dakota, and she's at my side within moments, taking on the Hoshidan troops while I continue to escort (Name) to the front entrance of the castle. I hear a sharp gasp from said white-furred Wolfskin and I'm harshly shoved aside while she protects me from a rather scary-looking ninja with red hair. Right away, I can tell he's different; much more highly trained than the others.

"Back off, Saizo," (Name) hollers at him. "Go pick on someone your own size!"

Remembering the lack of her Beastrune, I step in front of her, grabbing the Hoshidan ninja by the scarf around his neck and throwing him a good thirty feet away, straight into a brick wall. I feel (Name) crawling up my back until she reaches my neck, giving one of my ears a sharp yet gentle tug in the direction of the castle. I can smell fear coming off her form and quickly charge towards the front entrance of Castle Shirasagi. I run at breakneck speed through the castle, letting (Name) guide me. My only job is to make sure she stays safe until she gets her Beastrune. Once she has it, she'll be able to fend for herself. Though, if we're being honest here, I don't mind protecting her, but I'm not about to admit it.

A rather sharp electric arrow in my shoulder stops my advance and forces me out of my beast form.

"Not so tough now, are you, Keaton?"

The mocking tone in that annoying yet familiar voice grates against my ears.

"How's it feel to be powerless against your enemy in their home turf, Keaton?"

 _Gods, please give me enough strength to shut him up._

"Shut your trap, Takumi!" (Name) shrieks at the Hoshidan royal prick-in-my-ass.

 _How is it that she can call these Hoshidans by name so easily?_

My question is more or less answered seconds later.

"Well if it isn't little (Pet Name)," Takumi laughs teasingly. "I'll admit, I almost didn't recognize you with that savage look in your eyes."

"Give me back my Beastrune," she growls, now stepping defensively in front of me. "And I dare you to call me that name one more time, you whiny little bitch."

The young prince laughs heartily.

 _If only I could just wrap my hands around his scrawny little neck and-_.

"You can't hide it, can you? You know you liked it, so come on out of denial and maybe we can take it to the next level, (Pet Name)."

Now it hits me. (Name), one of my own kind, was a prisoner here, and unless I'm crazy, what he's saying means that she was subjected to-. No. It has to be a bluff. I glance at her and my heart sinks. That little shit isn't bluffing.

She's trembling and holding herself in a more sheltered defensive stance, pure terror coming off her in tidal waves. I have no idea how helpless she must have felt, and I'm already certain I don't want to know any part of it. Not that she would probably want to tell me about it, anyway. Whatever he did to (Name), I swear I will make him pay for it three hundred times over.

Out of nowhere, the wall behind Takumi gets a gaping hole blown through it. My heart leaps happily as the dust clears to reveal Dakota shaking the royal prick of an archer upside down, yelling at him to fork over (Name)'s Beastrune. Takumi throws the item in question towards its rightful owner, begging for mercy and receiving none from my Deputy Chief. (Name) races forward, catching her Beastrune and holding it close to her chest like her life depended on it. It's in these next few moments that time seems to slow down. Dakota has just thrown Takumi out through the hole in the wall she created upon her entrance, and a strangely calming aura has begun to sweep around (Name). And the legendary katana, Raijinto is now positioned directly in front of my throat. The wielder, the high prince of Hoshido, Lord Ryoma, stands beside me, calling for all battling forces to cease their attack. Dakota whirls around and cries out to me, taking a step in my direction, but I order her to stop, to which she reluctantly complies.

"It seems this dog already knows his place," chuckles the grating voice of the red-haired Hoshidan ninja whose name I accidentally forgot on purpose.

"Watch your tongue, Saizo," Lord Ryoma scolds.

"Ryoma, let him go."

I slowly look up. (Name) is standing little less than two meters away, facing down the two Hoshidans on either side of me. She takes a threatening step forward and stops, knowing the risks involved with advancing too far.

"(Name), we're not your enemy." The high prince of Hoshido makes his first attempt at calming her down. "Please set down your Beastrune, then we can settle this peacefully-."

A feral growl from the white-furred Wolfskin girl cuts him short, and while I watch the scene unfold before my eyes, I find it increasingly difficult to believe this isn't a dream. (Name)'s (eye color) eyes are now a brilliant blue, and a white mist is swirling lazily around her feet. A lone tendril of mist extends out towards me, gradually forming into a serene, white wolf with blue eyes. There's absolutely no explanation for what happened next. (Name) became fully encased in a veil of mist, which dispelled after a few moments, releasing a _real_ blue-eyed Arctic Wolf. This creature, along with its mist-borne companion, waste no time in leaping at Ryoma and Saizo, snapping at them with vicious and powerful jaws.

I remember the ninja's name now.

...

 _Fuck_.

"Keaton, run!" Dakota yells at me.

I turn my head to see a male Kinshi Knight with long, deep red hair bearing down on me, light glinting off his Iron Naginata. He gives me a cruel smile.

"So sorry," he says sarcastically.

Agony hits me like a brick wall as the naginata weapon pierces straight through my lower abdomen, and I can't hold back the scream that rips its way from my throat. Dakota echoes this with a screech of her own. Just as quickly as it impaled me, the weapon is pulled from my body, causing me to cry out in pain once more. Though my eyes are closed, I can feel thick mist surrounding me, and smooth fur brushing against my form lightly trembling form.

"Hold on, Chief," Dakota's voice whispers in my ear, soothing a small portion of the agony racking my body as I'm lifted by a pair of strong, furry arms. "We'll be back at camp soon."


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER:** Fire Emblem: Fates and all of its characters belong to Intelligent Systems (and any other major parties involved in the making of the Fire Emblem: Fates games). I own the plot, Dakota, (Name)'s personality and the decisions she makes. I do not make any profit from this fanfiction; it is solely intended for your reading pleasure.

(Name) = Your name.

(eye color) = Your eye color.

(hair color)/(hair length) = Hair color / Hair length.

(Pet Name) = An annoying name that pisses you off, no matter who it comes from.

(Nickname) = A cute name that makes you blush.

 **Your P.O.V.**

Dakota and I are sitting on the floor of Keaton's den, waiting patiently and patching up each other's wounds. When we had first arrived back at the camp, the rest of the pack had teamed up, quickly making work of cleaning, bandaging, and successfully stopping the bleeding of Keaton's wound. Now, he's laying in his bed of moss in front of me, peacefully asleep.

"He's such a great leader," I blurt out, feeling a spark of admiration for him.

"It took him a couple of years to get where he is now," Dakota sighs nostalgically. "And a few too many sacrifices along the way."

"Heh, I know what that feels like," I mutter solemnly.

I lower my head as horrible images of my imprisonment in Hoshido flash across my field of vision, bringing tears to my eyes. The ones that stick the most are mainly of me crying over my parents' dead bodies. The last image is of the traumatizing day when I nearly lost everything.

"What do you mean?" Dakota asks, turning me to her and holding my face in both of her hands, forcing me to look up at her.

There's silence as she stares into my pain-filled (eye color) eyes. When she speaks again, she seems to have a much better understanding of the ghostly past that's haunting me.

"(Name), sweetie," she whispers softly, her voice having a sort of welcoming, motherly tenderness. "Tell me everything."

And tell her I did. Absolutely everything. Weeping against her shoulder all the while, she pets my head calmly, both of us blissfully unaware that Keaton was soaking in every word. Once I had finished telling my sob story and managed to calm down, Dakota urges me to get some rest and offers to let me sleep in her bed of moss with her. With a long yawn, I gratefully accept her offer, curling up in the center of the moss bed while Dakota wraps her form around mine, just as a Wolfskin mother would her pups. It's this small gesture that makes me feel the happiest I've ever felt in years.

 **Dakota's P.O.V.**

"He called her (Pet Name)," I hear Chief growl from the opposite corner of the den, his every word laced with fury.

"Keaton, go to sleep," I hiss quietly at him, aware that (Name) is curled up and sound asleep with her body pressed up against my frame. "We'll talk in the morning."

"He has no right to call her that," he grumbles angrily, his crimson gaze shimmering softly in what little moonlight shone into the den. "I don't care how you put it; what that Hoshidan royal prick did to her is deplorable."

 _So he was listening the whole time_ , I think to myself, feeling a stab of dull pain. _It must have been hard on him, hearing about something like that happening to his own kin._

The air is quiet and tense as he lays his head down into his bed of moss.

"Only a mate has any right to call her by a pet name like that," Keaton mutters.

"Are you implying something here, Chief?" I growl, challenging him.

"Yes, I am, Dakota," he snaps back at me. "For one, what Takumi did to her is by no definition called love, it's called rape. He doesn't have any right to call her (Pet Name). And for another, she is a Wolfskin. Therefore, she is a part of this pack now... and as Chief, it's my duty to protect my kin!"

"She's not a Wolfskin, Keaton,"

At this, his head shoots up from his bed of moss and he looks at me with sheer disbelief.

"She's a Wolf's Kin."

I look down at (Name), remembering the days when Keaton's father was Chief. At that time, I had only recently been named Deputy Chief and my grandmother was still alive.

"My grandmother was a Wolf's Kin. They're the original line of our kin; humans having the ability to transform into wolves with the help of a special stone forever bound to their soul."

"Beaststones," Keaton whispers in comprehension. "But then how come we can't do the same?"

"The form of the Wolf's Kin represents purity of mind, body, and soul," I answer quietly as (Name) squirms a little bit in her sleep, Chief looking at me like I have three heads. "Their Beaststones, and Beastrunes would allow them to transform into an Arctic Wolf. However, some of the Wolf's Kin became tainted by hatred, greed, and revenge, which corrupted their stones and caused their forms to become permanently impure. Thus was born the line of Wolfskin."

Another silence graces Keaton's den, the only sound being (Name) snuggling closer to me.

"So, does that mean that she's-..." Chief pauses for a few heartbeats. "Is she the last of the Wolf's Kin?"

"Unfortunately, yes," my reply comes gravely, which sparks a wave of pity from Keaton. "Unless she takes a mate."

He perks up at the mention of this and I can't help but laugh, laying my head down on the bed of moss next to (Name)'s.

"Sleep, Keaton. We'll talk tomorrow."


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER:** Fire Emblem: Fates and all of its characters belong to Intelligent Systems (and any other major parties involved in the making of the Fire Emblem: Fates games). I own the plot, Dakota, (Name)'s personality and the decisions she makes. I do not make any profit from this fanfiction; it is solely intended for your reading pleasure.

(Name) = Your name.

(eye color) = Your eye color.

(hair color)/(hair length) = Hair color / Hair length.

(Pet Name) = An annoying name that pisses you off, no matter who it comes from.

(Nickname) = A cute name that makes you blush.

 **Keaton's P.O.V.**

My eyes flutter open at the sound of frustrated shouting outside my den. I lift my head and look around, realizing I'm alone, which means that (Name) and Dakota are outside. Standing up and stretching lavishly, I meander out of my den, blissfully ignorant of the chaos that awaits me until I emerge into the late-morning light and my Deputy Chief whirls to face me. The look of panic in her red-amber eyes was well hidden, but not well enough, and I sleepily kick into Chief Mode.

"Dakota, calm down and breath," I instruct her firmly, waiting until she's stopped quivering with anxiety. "Now, tell me what's going on."

"(Name)'s gone," Dakota whispers, a hint of fear in her voice. "The dawn patrol reported seeing her leave the camp and flee deep into the forest."

"What direction?"

"The far north, Chief," one of my packmates replies, walking up to stand beside Dakota. "We tried following her, but it got too cold."

"Explain," I growl, a flare of suspicion creeping up on me.

"It started snowing heavily," he admits shamefully, looking down at his feet with his ears folded back against his head. "Had we not turned back when we did, not all of us would have made it back to camp alive."

I give my fellow Wolfskin a friendly pat on the back, smiling at him as he looks back up.

"Well done, Brother," I praise him, relief sparking in his eyes. "You did the right thing."

When my packmate leaves to join the rest of the recovering dawn patrol, I turn back to my Deputy Chief with determination.

"Dakota, you and I are going to go find (Name)," I mutter just loud enough for her ears alone. "She is a part of this pack now, and you know what that means, don't you?"

"Are you insane?" she hisses at me, grabbing my arm as I walk past her. "If what the dawn patrol reported is true, then what you're suggesting is suicide!"

"As Deputy Chief, you should know full well by now that I'd rather die trying to save a member of my pack than sit back and do nothing!"

There's a tense silence wherein Dakota lowers her head, her ears folded down in sorrow. She remembers when I risked my own life, almost went too far, to rescue her when the camp was hit by a massive flash flood. She was nearly swept away forever by the rushing waters. She'd been an older sister figure to me for as long as I can recall, and she was my father's Deputy Chief for a while before he died a couple years ago... That had been the only motivation I'd needed to go after her, despite Father's efforts to stop me. Now, she is my Deputy Chief, but moreover, she's my best friend, and I don't want to lose her.

"Alright," Dakota concedes, her resolve now strengthened. "Let's go."

~Time Skip~

True to the report given by the dawn patrol, once Dakota and I get into the more dense section of the forest, it starts snowing heavily, though there's not a single gust of wind. The deeper we travel, the more the cold, white flakes fall and the trees begin to thin out, until there's nothing but a vast expanse of white in all directions. Out of fear that we'll become separated, I turn to Dakota and pull a long rope from one of the pouches at my thighs. Having no need for further instruction, we tie the opposing ends of the rope around each other's waist and then continue our search for (Name). After an eternity of aimlessly walking around, I feel a sharp tug from Dakota's end of the rope.

"Over here, Chief," she whispers, pointing ahead of her. "I think I found something."

Shielding my eyes from the lazily dropping snowflakes, I squint to try making sense of what it is she's pointing at. As it slowly comes into focus, I can feel my tail powering up like an engine, whipping from left to right while my nose picks up the faintest whiff of (Name)'s sweet scent. From what I can see, up ahead is the mouth of a cave, where I can only assume (Name) is hopefully sheltered and warm. We carefully approach the cave, making sure there are no possible threats nearby. I take one step inside when the rope linking Dakota and I together goes taught. Looking back, I find myself witnessing a side of my Deputy Chief that I've only seen once before.

She's firmly planted herself at the farthest possible extent of the rope, staring blankly ahead. Her right eye has turned pure amber, whilst the other remains its usual red-amber. This means that a spirit of the dead is trying to communicate with her. Not in the creepy, vengeful kind of way, oh no. These spirits she encounters are the ones that linger among the living after their passing to protect their loved ones... At least, that's what she tells me, anyway. Why they choose the most inconvenient of times to start talking, I will never know.

"Dakota, who is it?" I ask quietly, stepping into the line of sight of her normal-colored eye. "What are they saying?"

Her pupils are wide in disbelief, and I'm forced to wait until her little one-sided chat comes to an end. The other time this happened was the day before the horrible flood that almost took her away.

~Le Flashback~

"Father! Come quick, I think there's something wrong with Dakota!"

Leading my father to where his Deputy Chief stands paralyzed on the spot, I can feel my heart racing probably much faster than it should be. When we arrive, my father kneels down in front of her, holding her shoulders. He looks into her eyes for a long moment. I stand beside him and take in the sight for a second time, seeing it from a different perspective now that my father is with me. Dakota's left eye is normal, but her right eye is a bright shade of almost glowing amber. It had seemed unnerving at first, yet now I find a strange sort of beauty about it.

"Dakota?" Father asks tentatively, giving her shoulders a gentle yet firm shake. "Dakota, can you hear me?"

There's tension in the air as she stares blankly ahead without any response at all, however, my father waits patiently as though this were a perfectly normal occurrence. Finally, Dakota blinks several times as her right eye returns to its natural red-amber color and looks directly into my father's eyes, her voice shaking as she speaks.

"Chief, we need to get everyone out of dodge before sunrise tomorrow," the shocked Deputy Chief chokes out in a rush.

"Whatever for, Dakota?" my father gasps, a shroud of disbelief cloaking him, blinding his better judgement.

"The former Chief spoke to me," the young female Wolfskin stammers, her normally commanding tone now reduced to little more than a feeble whimper. " _A flood born of man and book will ravage the camp before the rising of the morrow's sun._ Those were his words exactly."

Father growls in frustration and stands, walking away and disappearing into his den without another word to either Dakota or myself. I turn to my friend as she hangs her head with ears drooping in shame. Instinctively, I give her a reassuring hug.

"I believe you, Dakota," I whisper to her, pulling back to look into her watery eyes.

"Thank you, Keaton," she giggles softly, her voice still sounding quite fragile, as though the smallest whisper of wind could shatter her entirely.

I'm not sure if Father had felt it, but there had been a fourth presence with us, which led me to believe that Dakota was telling the truth.

~End of Le Flashback~

"Keaton, (Name) is in danger," Dakota says hurriedly, the sound of her voice snapping me back from my nostalgia.

"What do you mean?" I press on, shivering as a cold wind picks up.

"It's him... The Hoshidan archer."


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER:** Fire Emblem: Fates and all of its characters belong to Intelligent Systems (and any other major parties involved in the making of the Fire Emblem: Fates games). I own the plot, Dakota, (Name)'s personality and the decisions she makes. I do not make any profit from this fanfiction; it is solely intended for your reading pleasure.

(Name) = Your name.

(eye color) = Your eye color.

(hair color)/(hair length) = Hair color / Hair length.

(Pet Name) = An annoying name that pisses you off, no matter who it comes from.

(Nickname) = A cute name that makes you blush.

 **Your P.O.V.**

I cower low to the floor in the center of the main chamber of my den. My body refuses to stop shaking, even though I'm in my wolf form. I can hear my pursuer's heartbeat just very faintly, and their quiet footsteps. By scent alone, I know with absolute certainty that the person is Hoshidan, and is therefore not simply here to chat. Hearing footsteps enter the chamber, I concentrate solely on keeping track of the person's location. It's no surprise that I recoil when a harsh, blue-green light illuminates the room, considering how well my eyes have adjusted to the near total darkness. Thankfully, it only takes a few heartbeats for my eyes to re-adjust to the new source of light. Sheer panic sets in as I recognize the silhouette of my pursuer.

"We meet again, (Pet Name)," Takumi chuckles, his demeanor somehow different than our previous encounter. "Alone at last."

Something about what he just said sends an unnerving shiver up my spine, and just like that, it brings back the memories of my imprisonment. Leaping up onto my paws, I make a beeline for the emergency exit at the back of the cavern. I haven't even taken five strides before a pinpointed arrow meets my right flank, sending me crashing to the dirt floor as my wolf form fades away.

"No need to run, (Name)," Takumi whispers as he walks slowly towards me. "The sooner you accept it, the sooner it will be over."

Frantically, I try to get up and scramble away from him as fast as I possibly can, but he's faster. In a matter of seconds, he's got me pinned against the ground and none of my attempts to escape his hold end well. If anything, his grip tightens with every movement I make. My heart begins to race with an unusual rhythm as he leans in very close to my face.

"Don't you want someone to love you, (Name)?" Takumi purrs, his breath tickling my lips.

Though it doesn't sound nearly as tough as I'd intended, I hiss at him, "I'm no expert, but I think you and I have a different idea of what love is."

"We'll see about that," he chuckles quietly, his lips only millimeters from mine.

Closing my eyes is quite possibly the worst decision I could make right now, but I don't have any other option that's more appealing than watching Takumi have his way with me. Bracing for the disgusting feel of his lips against mine, I send out a silent prayer that somebody comes to put a stop to him. Miraculously, my prayer is heard, and Takumi jerks back at the sound of a thundering feral roar coming from somewhere within the cave. It sounds familiar, and if I had to guess, I'd put my money on Keaton and Dakota... Considering they're really the only friends I have now. My heart stops dead when I hear a deafening thud sound overhead. Takumi jumps back, fully releasing me from his grasp, which allows me to scramble away in the direction of the emergency exit.

Clutching my Beastrune tightly in one hand, I will myself to transform, and my wish is immediately granted. Now in my wolf form, I effortlessly slip through the emergency exit tunnel, narrowly escaping an arrow from Takumi's Fujin Yumi. While I crawl through the twists and turns of the upward sloping tunnel, I catch faint snippets of a raging battle back in the cave's main chamber. However, every fiber of my being is screaming at me to keep going, which I do until I emerge out into daylight. I jump two feet into the air as the ground begins to rumble with the force of an earthquake. Turning around, I can see the burly form of a Wolfskin trying to bring the entire cave in on itself. Padding across the snow-covered ground, I recognize Dakota's grey-white fur and red-amber eyes.

"Dakota what are you doing?" I shout as she slams both of her mighty paws down against the roof of the cave. "And where's Keaton?"

"He's still inside the cave," she replies, raising her paws again. "You should step back, (Name). I'm bringing this cave in, and I don't want you getting hurt."

"You can't do that," I wail at her, running up and trying to push her out of the way. "Keaton's still in there!"

"I know he is, (Name)," she replies, raising her paws again. "But in beast form, he's eight times more likely to survive than that gods-forsaken Hoshidan archer!"

"How likely is it that Takumi _would_ survive?"

Dakota stops just before bringing her paws crashing down again and looks at me with a wide grin on her face. She needn't have said anything more for me to know the answer to my question. With a deafening screech of victory, she smashes her paws onto the roof of the cave. The ground shuddered with the force of the blow and gave way underneath us. I struggled to stay above the crumbling dirt and snow. Unfortunately, I get buried, and it happens in the blink of an eye. First, my tail gets caught, rapidly followed by the rest of me. My entire body is surrounded by snow and dirt, leaving me absolutely immobile. Taking in as deep a breath as my limited space will allow, I exhale heavily into the wall of snow trapping my muzzle, causing a little bit of it to melt. I repeat this until I'm able to move my whole head around. My ears can pick up the sound of digging somewhere nearby, which triggers my first instinct as a person.

"HEEELLLP!"

The digging stops for a while, prompting me to call out again. I keep calling out even as the digging resumes directly above my head. A female voice shouts angrily, stopping whoever's digging. There's a long moment of silence before light starts bleeding through the snow and a familiar scent floods my senses; Keaton. Two pairs of arms heave me out of the snow just as I come out of my wolf form.

"(Name)? (Name), speak to me!"

Blinking rapidly and rubbing my eyes, I do my best to refocus my vision. Keaton's face gradually comes into view, and my heartbeat falters. He's covered in blood that I know is not his own, but I still find myself panicking for some reason.

"Keaton, we have to go," Dakota says urgently as she shifts into her Wolfskin form and carries me bridal-style. "We're too close to Hoshidan territory."

Images flash across my field of vision as Dakota's words set in. Keaton. Cave. Blood. Takumi. Darkness. Fear. More blood. The broken Fujin Yumi. Keaton's lifeless body sprawled out on the floor of a prison cell... And the chanting of "Murderer! Murderer! Murderer!" coming to my ears as a whisper on the wind. There was no turning back now; once the Hoshidan royal family learns of Takumi's death, Keaton's fate will be set in stone.


End file.
